Nissan Versa

The Versa is built to be America’s cheapest car, and it succeeds in every respect: If you want a cheap new car, here it is; if you like to drive, keep shopping. Reported here in sedan form (the Versa Note is its hatchback twin), the Versa has insultingly flimsy materials and a pathetic instrument pod. Its wimpy 1.6-liter engine makes for slow acceleration but is reasonably fuel efficient, with models equipped with the continuously variable transmission now rated for 40 mpg on the highway. First Drive Review – 2015 Nissan Versa Sedan

First, the Sentra-fication of the Versa’s styling brings huge new headlamps (they’re nearly as large as the side windows) and a broad new grille outlined in chrome. Versa SL models like the one we sampled also come dressed up with blacked-out B-pillars, chrome door handles, and 16-inch wheels with 195/55-series tires. Interior fabrics, in the few places they’re found, are durable looking, even sporting contrasting stitching here and there. Other minor cabin refinements include white LED instrument lighting, standard Bluetooth connectivity, a new steering wheel with audio controls, and a sprinkling of chrome bits. The Versa SL’s revised $800 Technology package brings a 5.8-inch touch-screen display with a rearview monitor, voice recognition, navigation, and a selection of apps. As before, the huge back seat and large trunk are two of the car’s best—and perhaps only—selling points.

Driving enjoyment is totally absent. As we noted in our previous test of a 2012 model, there is no aspect of the Versa’s dynamics that make it worthy of consideration to those who like to drive. The 109-hp four-cylinder engine can keep the car moving with traffic—barely—but the continuously variable transmission makes the engine moan and drone a dissonant song at a constant, unpleasant volume during acceleration. Any soundproofing material that may have been considered for use in the Versa now certainly lies on the floor of the bean-counter’s office. Suspension revisions seem to have tidied up the handling a bit and the ride quality is plush despite the car’s torsion-beam rear suspension, but the steering is woefully numb and overboosted. And braking is nearly as leisurely as acceleration; stepping on the brake pedal feels akin to pressing a spatula into a bowl of mashed potatoes. At least fuel economy is respectable, with the EPA estimating 31 mpg city and 40 highway for the S Plus, SV, and SL models equipped with the CVT. The price-leader S iteration is less frugal, being EPA-rated at 27/36 mpg with the five-speed manual and 26/35 with the four-speed automatic.

Nissan deserves credit for upping the Versa’s comfort factor, at least in loaded SL form. However, the Versa SL with the Tech package comes in at $18,500, where similarly priced subcompact cars such as the Ford Fiesta and the Honda Fit—or even a mid-level version of the compact Nissan Sentra—still offer more joy and much more refinement behind the wheel. The Versa, then, remains a cheap new car for people who would otherwise be driving a used car. We can think of better ways to spend an automotive allowance, no matter how modest it may be.

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